Posts Tagged ‘Ecology’

My name is Elf

To introduce myself and my machinima animations.

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Hi , my name is Celestial Elf.
Im a Digital Druid, Pagan Poet, Shamanic Soul and Machinima animation artist
celebrating nature, spirit and the ancient ways.
In respect of my being an Eco-Druid–the short version is because I find my spirituality in and through Nature.

My name is “Celestial” because this denotes the heavens, the freedom of the skies and the beyond. “Elf” because of my affinity with the Norse origins of the term (álfar) describing semi-divine beings endowed with magical powers which they may use for the benefit of mankind.

The machinima films I make are animations filmed within a three dimensional virtual reality world.
Some of my films have been noted for their lovely music and im very happy to say that man musicians including Serpentyne, Lisa Thiel, The Dolmen, World Tree Music and Trouvere have made avaliable for my use specific compositions or songs that i can use in my films.

I make ecology and mythology based machinima animations to share my message of care for nature, the environment and all of life-kind, with the hope that some among the viewers will both enjoy an be uplifted by them–but more pressingly–be inspired by them to recognize the issues I address and take whatever actions available to them, great or small, to further the causes considered. Be it sharing my film to signing a petition, or changing their life in some way.

Regards my inspiration, perhaps the best explanation of all isJ.L. Stanley’s Catechism For A Witch’s Child:

When they ask to see your gods, your book of prayers,
Show them lines drawn delicately with veins on the underside of a bird’s wing,
Tell them you believe in giant sycamores mottled and stark against a winter sky,
And in nights so frozen stars crack open spilling streams of molten ice to earth,
And tell them how you drink a holy wine of honeysuckle on a warm spring day,
And of the softness of your mother who never taught you death was life’s reward,
But who believed in the earth and the sun and a million, million light years of being.

As we move from ‘Global Warming’ through ‘Climate Change’ to ‘Climate Chaos’ and Instability, we see more clearly now the effects of human activity on the Earth, yet the underlying causes stay the same without any significant international effort to counter this problem.
Gaia sends the four horsemen of her Epocalypse – her Four Elements to bear upon us, behold the power of Air, Water, Fire and Earth – respected and we flourish together but neglected or abused, they return with a vengeance.

Hraesvelg, The Winter Eagle by Relotixke

Of Air. often disregarded by environmentalists, whose focus has centered on Carbon dioxide CO2, motor vehicles also emit Carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning, which is among the most serious forms of toxic air pollution in large urban areas. Air quality suffers and in consequence so do all people, creatures and plants – our narrow peramaters of life supporting conditions errode…

Jörmungandr the Midgard Serpent &amp; Thor in Fishing Boat

Of Water, note the increased frequency of storms and flooding, while increasing levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere causes warming and more water to be evaporated from the ocean, which will lead to ever more frequent and intense storms. Water and Oceans are also a perfect carrier of further poisons such as Nuclear radiation from Fukushima or more local chemical spills…..

Muspelheim – world of lava fire and volcanos

Of Fire, the increasing frequency of wildfires as global warming intensifies areas with long hot summers in hot and dry climates causing extensive damage to huge forested areas (and thereby decreasing the tree-covered areas that act as carbon dioxide sinks), while at the same time causing untold damage to property and human life. Even within storms, fires rage as in Wales recently where the power lines ignited fields of peat…

Angrboda “herald of sorrow” a giantess, known as the Hag of Ironwood.

Of Earth, the devastating effects of pollution, a by-product of carbon-based industrialisation (both in terms of oil and oil-based products such as plastics) have struck a deadly blow to the Earth and her wildlife. To say nothing of Genetically Modified Organisms possibly and irreversably undermining the intricate bio systems cooperative and symbiotic nature. And then there was Fracking….

Apocalyptic storms and unprecedented weather events continue, much like Ragnarok (the end of the world in Norse mythology, which is preceded by Fimbulvetr, the winter of winters ).

The Wild Hunt

Yet all hope is not gone, for after the storms have passed and Gaia heals herself, comes the dawn of a new day, a new Earth will rise triumphant.

Take heart friends of Gaia as worlds fall and raging seas rise, as storms destroy and skies bring only darkness – similalrly Ragnarok marks the end of one age – the beginning of another.

Gaia’s balance will eventually recover. She will return, lush and green and the seasons will flow in their given times once again.

Wether we will endure as welcome guests in the longer run however will remain to be seen ~

the brevity of a beautiful day and my time upon the earth,
the harshness of the seasons and futility of a world without mirth.
Of people who are foolish, the heartless and the cruel,
the death of all our loved ones – natures immutable rule.

Gaia grant me the courage to change the things that I can;
such as impatience with ignorance in all its forms –
consciousness raising to basic humanitarian norms,
respect for our ancestors bones and sacred circles of stones –
spiritual diversity imbues this life with mysterious meanings unknown,
saving ancient forests and trees who make the air that we breathe –
our narrow parameters of existence enabled by evironments we need,
getting rid of greenhouse gassess and anthropogenic emissions –
by curbing industrial air pollution and such short sighted commissions,
offsetting offsetting because lifes microhabitats are rare –
and cannot be replaced at goblin markets of biochemical fare,
forgoing fracking – both public and secret –
that earth be safe without carcinogenic chemical seepage,
dropping dioxin toxins and plant pesticide armagedon –
by fostering farming that is safe to the seventh generation,
barring gene splicings and science fiction mutations –
by supporting a sustainable world built on ecological foundations,
rescinding radiation, nuclear-atomic aberration –
for sunlight and windpower and possibly clean fusion salvation,
ommitting oil spills from oceans by choosing –
other forms of energy and greater care using,
abandoning xenoestrogens in birth control pills –
and countless strange medecines that do not cure our ills,
ending genocide and ecocide in all of its forms –
by supporting green business that all survive lifes storms,
not a call for new luddites and progress avoiders,
but rather for compassion, so please come and join us.

Gaia grant me the wisdom to know the difference today,
to take personal action in every small way –
choices I make to give and to take,
to understand the consequences and blessings awake.

My Introduction / Review;
This book takes the form of a thought experiment propelled by the four global forces, of demography, natural resource demand, globalization, and climate change, plus a fifth — of enduring legal frameworks — and follows ground rules as stated in the opening chapter: That this study shall not be subject too Sudden Silver Bullets (incremental and unforeseeable advances in technology), World War III – no radical reshuffling of our geopolitics and laws (although in my own view this World War III has long been underway and is less traditional than economic -please see Naomi Klein’s Shock Doctrine) +/Or Hidden Genies, like a global depression, a killer pandemic, or sudden climate change.

How will the world change within our own life times, a scientifically deduced view of the growing population trends and accompanying demands on limited world resources, of species extinctions and other ecological changes forcing unprecedented social and cultural upheavals, of the possibilities of new powers protecting or even prospecting for resources in other territories by force of arms (such as water Wars or etc).

”Imagine a 2050 world in which global population has grown by nearly half, forming crowded urban clots around the hot lower latitudes of our planet. Mighty new poles of economic power and resource consumption have arisen in China, India and Brazil. People are urban, grayer and richer. Many places are water stressed, uninsurable or battling the sea. Some have abandoned irrigated farming altogether; their cities rely totally on global trade flows of energy and virtual water (ie traded goods containing water such as food etc) to even exist”….

True, we have a diverse basket of new energy resources, but we still rely heavily upon fossil fuels and the development trends and lack of substantial enough alternatives suggest the dependency will continue. Natural gas is especially lucrative and under aggressive development in all corners of the world. In addition billions of southern organisms will press northward, including us. These broad pressures and trends portend great changes to the northern quarter of our planet, making it a place of higher human activity and strategic activity than today.

Nunavut. President Keskitalo’s Argument;”In Tromsø sitting with Aili Keskitalo, president of the Norwegian Sámi Parliament. She was describing the plight of her Sámi people (Lapps), the aboriginal occupants of northern Europe.‘Our language. Our symbols. Our traditional knowledge. They are threatened. In some areas, to a very large extent. We need to have a say in how the natural resources are exploited!’Unfortunately, a naturally twitchy climate makes the steady, predictable push from anthropogenic greenhouse gases more dangerous, not less. From the geological past we know the Earth’s climate has not always been so quiet as it is now. Therefore, through greenhouse loading we are applying a persistent pressure to a system prone to sudden jumps in ways we don’t fully understand. Imagine a wildcat quietly sleeping on your porch—it looks peaceful but is by nature an ill-tempered, unpredictable beast that might spring into a flurry of teeth and claws in an instant. Greenhouse gases are your knuckles pressing inexorably into its soft slumbering belly; the global ecosystem is your exposed hand and arm.”…“The climate change, it makes the oil, the gas, the mineral resources in the North more accessible. So the need to get control over the resource management is even more important, because of the climate change.” She sat back in exasperation. “If you have no representation, how can you have an influence on resource management?

”If there was ever a moment when my perspective suddenly broadened on the future of the northern countries I was traveling, that was probably it. We talked some more, so I could assemble in my own head what was already so obvious in hers. Everything is linked. Shrinking ice, natural resource demand, and political power were all tugging on each other. My scientist’s training had wrongly led me down the path of dissect, isolate, and rank. This works well for a focused problem, but is not always best for gaining a synoptic understanding of the world.”Thus we join the dots to see the bigger picture and how everything really is linked to everything else, change is inevitable, if we understand a little of what may follow we might better cherish the present and nurture the best of possible future outcomes”….

Of further concern is the fact that scientific research has recently revealed that our climatic emergence from the last ice age was neither gradual nor smooth. Instead it underwent rapid flip-flops, seesawing back and forth between glacial and interglacial (warm) temperatures several times before finally settling down into a warmer state. These large temperature swings happened in less than a decade and as quickly as three years. Precipitation doubled in as little as a single year….The Pentagon’s report, which outlines possible social scenarios if what occurred 8,200 years ago were to happen again today (quite scary) describes wars, starvation, disease, refugee flows, a human population crash, civil war in China, and the defensive fortification of the United States and Australia.

”To me, the old debates of Malthus and Marx, of Ehrlich and Simon, miss the point. The question is not how many people there are versus barrels of oil remaining, or acres of arable land, or drops of water churning through the hydrologic cycle. The question is not how much resource consumption the global ecosystem can or cannot absorb. It’s moot to wonder whether the world should optimally hold nine billion people or nine million, colonize the sea, or all move to Yakutsk. No doubt we humans will survive anything, even if polar bears and Arctic cod do not. Perhaps we could support nine hundred billion if we choose a world with no large animals, pod apartments, genetically engineered algae to eat, and desalinized toilet water to drink. Or perhaps nine hundred million if we choose a wilder planet, generously restocked with the creatures of our design. To me, the more important question is not of capacity, but of desire: What kind of world do we want?”Absolutely stunning book which lays the whole world and all its developmental trends before the reader in a totally comprehensive manner lacking the obscurantist occlusion or mere one-upmanship of many scientific authors who dazzle with detail the less specialist reader. If you care to understand the present and future trends of big Businesses and Governments and the hardlines underpinning their perspectives, here you will find a vast array of evidence based assessment and demographic details delivered in an entirely acessible manner.

Highly Recommended for any present & all near future residents of Earth..

”…The world is alive. The plants, animals, rocks, and water all have spirits. These spirits must be respected and cared for or the land would become hostile or barren. Therefore, protection and balance of one’s environment is of utmost importance…” –

To the creatures called the minerals, shining clear and glowing bright,

I gather Cosmic Energies to weave into this night –

To the creatures called the plant forms, growing green into the dance,

I gather for the learning, none more to the point- advance –

Gentle be and beautiful see,

In Hollows, Hills and Flowers,

In Stones and Springs and Lakes and Rain,

We will discover Powers….

Long mankind assigned to Gnome dark treasure hording plight,

Plundered Earth to seize it all to own and keep with might,

Long mankind has split them both, the kin of light and life,

Forsook fair ways of kindness for a secret trove of strife.

With sorcery and skill of Wizard,

A Convocation gathers –

In mystery and wonder thee,

Heart wisdom all that matters.

Gnome’s message for the telling, twilight time is here,

The Universe sends Blessing, Vibrations, Energy, Sheer…

The Wisdom of the Universe through gift of Second Sight,

The treasure of Earth’s crystals, to amplify your hearing, right.

Beneath the Sun and Moon and Stars,

Beyond the woods and mountains climbing –

Within the circles of the Earth,

A Mystic power is rising –

From moonbeams woven magics, and starlight of the skies,

electro-magnetic-missives, consecrated, wise,

From allies of your Ancient times the message here implies,

The treasures that you’r seeking are right before your eyes.

Sacred springs sing a song,

And travelling clouds do bring it,

Across the speckled gateway,

The pathway to within It.

A caution here to Earth-dwellers from dreamers of the Moon,

To the diggers of the deepness for resources reckless tune,

To the farmers of each other for some imaginary boon…

A reminder of the Harmony, lest end come all to soon.

I sorcerize the land and stones,

and lifekind all about –

With pece and joy, eternity –

With never any doubt.

To the Tree-eaters, Bee-beaters and genetically contrived,

Oil seekers, Earth reapers and otherwise deprived,

To the Old faith and the New faith that seekers have applied,

Portals of perception are here for you, Arrived.

By the blessing of both far tides,

And the nearness of the Now –

Set aside all such missguides,

Let the light shine from your brow –

Such were the words of the Wizard Gnome,

The mysterious truth – a stepping stone.

To enter into their magickal places.

Look beyond sight to your inner spaces –

Deep Peace of Wave and Earth and Air,

Your Blessing found is everywhere –

A Guide for The Perplexed

The Wizard Gnome here sets forth both a guide for people to access the higher frequencies, to open to an awareness of the other realms coexisting with us on the Earth, along with a timely caution against the consequences of an unrestrained and predatory commercial materialism for the individual spirit concerned and Earths Ecosphere as a whole.

Of particular relevance to any modern perceiver of Gnome wisdom, the caution of the Gnome’s narration is about neglecting care and kindness to the Earth at our own peril, of energy imbalances and overloading of magnetic fields causing ill health to the Earth and its ecosphere, which in turn closes down our portals of perception and understanding, further reducing our capability to change. Such factors as the desecration of the unique biological diversity of Earth species, as is the case for many Trees, Bees and Butterflies for example, both a crucial signifier of how far mankind has strayed from a cooperative concord with our Earth-Nature, the source of our physical selves and has further consequences such as the eventual collapse of the life sustaining systems which relied on these co-residents to oxygenate, pollinate and in countless other ways generate the world as we know it. Should some among human kind hope to follow them, the pathways to the higher realms are not paved with asphalt and ashes like some modern Mordoor of doom, nor sold by the meter, liter or beaker only to those who can afford, but are to be found within the organic-spiritual harmony of lifekind freely shared, the communal birth right of all who dwell upon the Earth. The pathways to the higher realms are congruent upon and found within the synergistic symphony of Cosmic energy as united in one great song of celebration, which is the vibration of life and delight.

The call itself is simple, seek within – find your spiritual center and look forth from this vantage point with new eyes already equipt to see the blessings that Universe and Eternity have bathed us in, become the change and once you have understood it – share the message.

About The Gnome;

A Gnome is an Elemental being or spirit of energy and as such they are commonly invisible to the average person, only those that utilize second sight can see them clearly, thus they symbolize the magical realms they inhabit of the world outside the boundaries of human consciousness; although they cherish the Earth, they are already beyond the threshold of the physical. Many believe the various forms of the Elementals come from a different realm, traveling between our realm and theirs at their leisure through energy portals where there is an overlaping of realms (possibly located at ley line junctions or electro magnetic focus points such as ancient stone circles) and were once more prevalent upon the physical Earth, thus the origins of myth and legends. Accordingly, Quantum Physics theories now propose that there are an infinity of parallel universes much like our own and the conjecture is that in some of these universes creatures who are merely fable and mythology here, still exist there. The name ‘Gnome’ itself comes from the Latin word ‘gnoma’ which means ‘Knowledge’ as in ‘gnomic poetry’ which is comprised of aphoristic verses that contain short, memorable statements of traditional wisdom and morality. Some say that this name was given to them by the medieval scholar Paracelsus who deduced of their existence in his alchemical and metaphysical extrapolations.

Known as guardians of treasure hidden deep within the Earth, Gnomes are guardians not only of the Earth and Earth minerals such as crystals, but also of the plant forms, specifically they tend to the roots of the plants.

Plant forms receive direct transmissions of ethereal energy from the Cosmos and through their roots they feed these powers into the Earth where Gnomes collect them as spiritual information to store in crystals for further distribution to heal Energy field imbalances and so help Earth-kind to develop along the higher evolutionary pathways.

Thus the Gnomes are actually the bearers of the ideas of the universe and the crystals with which they are associated are merely amplifiers to aid others such as human beings to receive these ideas and energies.

Such Cosmic energy or knowledge is subtle, powerful and direct, when Gnomes receive this information they obtain immediate understanding and wisdom. Having gathered countless numbers of such energy transmissions over the millenia, Gnomes are therefore very compassionate creatures and may aid simpler creatures, including human beings, if they are kind of heart, honest in manner and considerate of nature. If you have been aided by a Gnome you will probably receive a crystal or gemstone, although because Gnomes exist outside of our usual perceptive parameters, the gift will likely be expressed through a human friend. Alternately they may arrange for you to find the crystal by serendipitous means.

Some whispered legends claim that the predecessors of the Earth-Gnomes are the Moon-Gnomes, who in times beyond measure gathered together their Moon-dream-experiences and fashioned the Earth from them, but whether this is meant allegorically or upon a different level of reality, I cannot be sure. Gnomes are however nocturnal beings and sensitive to the influences of the moon.

If you wish to invoke a Gnome or seek its aid, you might go to an ancient wooded area where the energies have had decades to gather – naturally a full moon on a clear night is best for such procedures, and meditationally call to it as the Elemental guardian of the ages. Without prejudice or partisan particularities then present the cause which brought you thither and then wait with patience and an opened heart until the time of telling has peacefully passed. Do not expect any immediate or sudden materialization of your answer however, as the solution needed or new path to follow may take some time for a willing Gnome to arrange within the confines of our Earth bound existence.

I have set Taliesin’s Battle Of The Trees within two other pieces, firstly Tacitus’ report of the Roman invasion of the Druid island of Angelsey, followed by another poem from those by Taliesin which had been mixed in with The Battle of The Trees in a method of concealment to hide the poems meaning from those without understanding.

The Battle Of The Trees / Cad Goddeu ;

The tops of the beech tree have sprouted of late,
are changed and renewed from their withered state.

When the beech prospers, through spells and litanies,
the oak tops entangle, there is hope for the trees.

I have plundered the fern, through all secrets I spy.
Old Math ap Mathonwy knew no more than I.

For with nine sorts of faculty God has gifted me,
I am fruit of fruits gathered from nine sorts of tree–

From my seat at Caer Fefynedd (Kire Fev-Un-eThh), a city that is strong,
I watched the trees and green things hastening along.

Retreating from happiness they would fein be set
In forms of the chief letters of the alphabet.

Wayfarers wander, warriors are dismayed,
at the renewal of conflicts such as Gwydion made.

Under the root of the tongue, a fight most dread,
and another raging, behind, in the head.

The alders in the front line began the affray.
Will and rowan tree were tardy in array.

The holly, dark green, made a resolute stand;
He is armed with many spear points wounding the hand.

With foot beat of the swift oak heaven and earth rung;
“Stout Guardian of the Door”, his name in every tongue.

Great was the gorse in battle, and the ivy at his prime;
The hazel was arbiter at this charmed time.

Uncouth and savage was the fir, cruel the ash tree–
Turns not aside a foot breadth, straight at the heart runs he.

The birch, though very noble, armed himself but late;
A sign not of cowardice but of high estate.

The heath gave consolation to the tail spent folk
The long enduring poplars in battle much broke.

Some of them were cast away on the field of fright
Because of holes torn in them by the enemy’s might.

Very wrathful was the vine whose henchmen are the elms;
I exalt him mightily to rulers of realms.

Strong chieftains were the blackthorn with his ill fruit,
The unbeloved whitethorn who wears the same suit.

The swift pursuing reed, the broom with his broad,
And the furse but ill-behaved until he is subdued.

The dower scattering yew stood glum at the fight’s fringe,
With the elder slow to burn amid fires that singe.

And the blessed wild apple laughing in pride
And the Borchan of Maeldrew, by the rock slide.

In shelter linger privet and woodbine,
Inexperienced in warfare, and the courtly pine.

But I, although slighted because I was not big,
Fought, trees, in your array on the field of Goddeu Brig.
translation from Robert Graves book The White Goddess;

The Book of Taliesin dates from the 14th C. and collected 56 of the oldest poems in Welsh, those attributed to the 6th C. poet Taliesin would have been composed in the Cumbric dialect of the north. The manuscript preserves a few hymns, a small collection of elegies and also enigmatic poems such as The Battle of Trees and The Spoils of Annwfn, in which the poet claims to have sailed to another world with King Arthur and his warriors.

The Battle of the Trees poem itself, whilst currently “pied” with approximately four other poems, is set during a war between Arawn King of Annwfn or the Underworld, and Amaethon a ploughman. This war is prompted by the latter’s theft of three magical creatures from the underworld, a dog who was the guardian of the secret, a white roebuck who hides the secret, and a lapwing who disguises the secret.
Regarding the secret powers possessed by these otherwordly creatures, it is said in the Triads:
there are three primary essentials of genius;
an eye that can see nature, a heart that can feel nature, and a boldness that dares follow it.

Druids taught in Triads or groups of three, which embodied the traditional Laws, Customs, and Wisdoms, of the ancient Celtic people, such as “Truth in heart, strength in arm, honesty in speech.” or “Three things not easily restrained, the flow of a torrent, the flight of an arrow, and the tongue of a fool.”

The poem famously details the legendary Gwydion‘s account of the trees of the forest which he enchanted to fight as his army against Arawan.
Within the ranks of Arawn’s forces were a number of mighty warriors, and one of these was invincible as long as his name remained a secret.
Gwydion the enchanter rightly guessed the secret name and won the battle saying these words:

Sure-hoofed my horse of war,
On your hand are sprigs of Alder,
Bran you are, by the branch you bear.

However as Robert Graves explores in his book ‘The White Goddess’ the poem is particularly notable for its striking and enigmatic symbolism and the wide variety of interpretations this has occasioned.
Graves suggests that the trees in this poem correspond to the ancient Ogham alphabet, in which each alphabetic character represents a specific musical note, seasonal cycle, mythological tale and deity.
This method of association was a teaching aid in the letters and the trees associated with each, and its use in this poem was a poetic plea for the continuance of the use and teaching of this alphabet;
”This alphabet utilized thirteen consantants and five vowels. The consantants form the thirteen months of the annual cycle, while the vowels set forth the five year cycle of this Celtic calender. The letters/trees within the poem are not set in their proper order, I believe, in a further attempt to “encode” the information given in the poem so that only a person versed in this alphabet could utilize it.” Robert Graves.
Each tree had a meaning and significance of its own, and Gwydion guessed Bran’s name by the Alder branch Bran carried, the Alder being one of Bran’s prime symbols.

Graves thus argued that the original poet had concealed Druidic secrets about an older matriarchal Celtic religion for fear of censure from Christian authorities, that Arawn and Bran were names for the same underworld god and that the battle was probably not physical but rather a struggle of wits and scholarship: Gwydion’s forces could only be defeated if the name of his companion, Lady Achren (“Trees”), was guessed, and Arawn’s host only if Bran’s name was guessed.

When we grew up the world was all magic and still full of beauty, The butterflies flew high and the flowers grew tall. But like canaries in a coal mine without light or air or freedom, When their world came under stress, the time of death they heard call.

Technological agriculture’s destruction of the worlds balance and flow, Undermines natures resources essential for our wildlife to grow. And the loss of many countless species will be catastrophic for mankind even so, As these ecosystem pollinators brought essential plant-life profusion which medical research did know.

In England since the scientific 1970s five species of butterfly have already become extinct, The remaining 54 diminish faster than any other birds or plant species interlinked. Yet only now are they recognized as irreplaceable indicators of environmental change, And as representatives for the crucial diversity of the wildlife community free range.

Hundreds of butterflies, beetles and dragonflies now at risk of vanishing all across Europe, With almost one-third of 435 butterfly species suffering retrogression closeup, Loss of environments caused by intensive farming, climate change and tourism destroying their natural habitats strange, Irrespective of their significant role as pollinators in the ecosystems which they arrange.

And of the American butterflies and of their wild milkweed, Home of The Monarch butterflies caterpillar, the butterflies seed. The milkweed has also suffered since genetic alterations were introduced to our crop feed, The purpose of this biotechnology to kill all except the crop that we need.

But more than just milkweed and other weeds have languished and decayed- As The Duke of Burgundy, The Grayling, and Greenweed, The Large Blue, Speckled Footman and Painted Lady are all afraid, Chasing the Large Copper of Ireland, the Giant Swallowtail from Jamaica, the Atewa of Ghana, American Silverspot and Apollo from the Alps to their ultimate end, We face an ever silent spring as our neighbors and companions, the creatures who peopled our world endure a downtrend.

Yet some believe in a world teeming with life, And establish Geo-dome sanctuaries amidst the wreckage of this modern strife, Legally protected lands of untrammeled natural diversity Respite for natures finite species to shelter from our adversity.

Acting as guardians of this new day of bio-diverse global harmony, To protect our common heritage from some sterile future ahead, Helping all the people understand the connection between the creatures and the planet, How the butterflies are integral, the earths freedom worth more than farmstead.

As a symbol of our spirits and transformation since very ancient times, The butterfly or soul-mind according to the Greeks sacred sign, Of life after death as crawling caterpillar gives birth to flying grace, So our souls are called now, to save this ethereal race.

And on this small earth we’ve got to learn to live together…. Although we’re wearing different faces and we fly with different feather, If we can save the butterflies, and see the wildness rebound, We can also save ourselves, lets join the Butterfly Ball and turn this world around.

c. Celestial Elf 2011

…………………………………………………………………………

Once there were swarms of butterfly’s, even as recently as the 1970’s butterfly’s were widespread and populous, but more recently you will be lucky to see one or two compared with the riches that previously adorned our countrysides, river-ways, forests, fields and skies..
In 1892, SG Castle Russell wrote of his walk through The New Forest, South England: “Butterflies alarmed by my approach arose in immense numbers to take refuge in the trees above. They were so thick that I could hardly see ahead and indeed resembled a fall of brown leaves.”
A few centuries earlier, Richard Turpyn recorded a probable mass migration to or from Britain in his Chronicles of Calais during the reigns of Henry VII and VIII: “an innumerable swarme of whit buttarflyes … so thicke as flakes of snowe” that they blotted out views of Calais for workers in fields beyond the town.( Patrick Barkham, The Guardian UK.)

Whilst the collecting of British butterfly’s has now ceased to be acceptable, yet butterfly populations have continued to plummet.
Industrial agriculture and the loss of 97% of England’s natural grasslands and wildflower meadows, planting of conifers or letting our broadleaved woodlands become too overgrown for woodland flowers, plus the ever increasing sprawl of motorways and urban development have contributed significantly to this demise..
In addition, climate change makes it all the more complicated, because as well as new predators, new diseases do destroy native trees, flowers and insects that butterfly’s depended on.
Alien and Invasive weeds also crowd out butterfly food plants, thus depriving the survivors of both home and sustenance.

The United Kingdom’s largest native butterfly, The Swallowtail, was easily found all across the fens of East Anglia, until the draining of these wetlands for agriculture had caused its extinction, it is now confined to the Norfolk Broads.The Pearl-Bordered Fritillary which was known as the ‘Woodman’s Friend’ because it would follow foresters around as they coppiced or cut down patches of trees because they were attracted to the flowers that blossomed in the freshly cut glades, has also undergone a dramatic decline since this traditional way of ‘harvesting’ wood has died out.
But even before climate change, another man-made event, the introduction of the rabbit-killing disease myxomatosis in the 1950s, caused the decline of many grassland butterfly’s which had relied on large rabbit populations to keep the grasslands short and full of flowers.

The last species to become extinct in Britain was The Large Blue (Maculinea arion) in 1979, however in the 1980s conservationists brought stock from Sweden and successfully re-established the butterfly on a small field on the edge of Dartmoor. Professor Thomas, the man responsible for this return of the Large Blue butterfly to Britain after having worked out vital aspects of its unique lifestyle – specifically that the caterpillar is taken into an ant’s nest to be reared by the ants – has stated “What is bad for butterfly’s is bad for all species – including our own.
( The Independent UK )

Other and less fortunate Species that have become extinct in the UK include;The Mazarine Blue (Polyommatus semiargus) a small butterfly still found across Europe which feeds on red clover. The last colony in Britain died out in 1904.The Black-Veined White (Aporia crataegi) still common in Europe, this relative of the Large and Small Whites has been extinct in the UK since 1925, perhaps because of the increase in agricultural chemical useage at that time.The Large Tortoiseshell (Nymphalis polychloros) which was very common in Southern England until after the war, became extinct after Dutch Elm disease destroyed its main food source.

Around the wider world the story is much the same, as the Large Copper of Ireland, the Giant Swallowtail from Jamaica, the Atewa of Ghana, the American Silverspot and the Apollo from the Alps have all become extinct.
In The United States of America the Monarch butterfly also faces drastic reductions following destruction of their milkweed seeding plant due to bio technological agricultural chemicals used in killing the non crop weed.
The amazing Monarch butterfly’s which migrate southward in the autumn to places where the climate is less extreme, and are guided by the sun’s orbit as they travel through North America, moving at a pace of about almost 50 miles a day, although some are thought to have flown up to 80 miles in a day. At the end of October and the beginning of November, after traveling two months, these remarkable butterfly’s settle into hibernation colonies in the mountains of central Mexico, where they spend the winter hibernating.

On a brighter note,
We have finally made a beginning in conserving the right kind of Eco-systems for these fragile species and have even begun creating bio diversity areas to protect and nurture them.
Sir David Attenborough the BBC’s Natural history broadcaster launched in 2008 a £25m conservation project to reverse the ‘silent natural disaster’ that is threatening butterfly species across the UK.
This project, the Butterfly World, is the world’s biggest butterfly house and has approximately 10,000 tropical butterflies of 250 species flying under its dome at any one time in the world’s largest such display, in addition to extensive gardens and meadows to attract native British species, as well as education and research facilities. ( Butterfly World )

How we can all play a role in preserving these important and beautiful creatures ?
Butterfly’s visit gardens to drink nectar from flowers and many nectar producing plants are hardy perennials which are easy to grow.
The most direct method by which any budding Lepidopterist may support the reverse in butterfly populations then, is to plant and encourage suitable nectar producing plants.
The best plants for butterfly’s are the Buddlea, Ice-plant (Sedum), Lavender, Michaelmas Daisy (Aster) and Marjoram (Origanum).
But the butterfly caterpillars also need feeding and for this purpose you might plant Holly and Ivy in sunny positions where they can grow tall and flower.
Also keep your Stinging Nettles as these are home for the Comma, Small Tortoiseshell and Red Admiral butterfly’s.

Included here is a link to The National Trust (UK) Top 20 butterfly sites;
( The National Trust )